The dhantal (dandtal) is a long steel rod based percussion instrument (sounding similar to the

triangle A triangle is a polygon with three edges and three vertices. It is one of the basic shapes in geometry. A triangle with vertices ''A'', ''B'', and ''C'' is denoted \triangle ABC. In Euclidean geometry, any three points, when non- colline ...

), which was adapted from the iron "bows" that yoked the oxen that pulled the carts on the estates in

Guyana Guyana ( or ), officially the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern mainland of South America. Guyana is an indigenous word which means "Land of Many Waters". The capital city is Georgetown. Guyana is bordered by the ...

Suriname Suriname (; srn, Sranankondre or ), officially the Republic of Suriname ( nl, Republiek Suriname , srn, Ripolik fu Sranan), is a country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the nor ...

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of Hispa ...

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...

, other parts of the

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Fiji Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consis ...

Mauritius Mauritius ( ; french: Maurice, link=no ; mfe, label= Mauritian Creole, Moris ), officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean about off the southeast coast of the African continent, east of Madagascar. It ...

, and

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. The original beater was an actual horseshoe, a shape which is still retained in the dhantal's modern context as a musical instrument. Its top may be blunt or tapered to a fine point to allow for greater resonance, and its end is shaped into a circle that rests on the ground, table, or other surface when it is played. It is usually about a meter long and 3/8" to 1/2" thick.

History

The dhantal (also called the dhandataal) is of

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

n origin, but most commonly found in the

and

. The instrument was brought to the

and to the

Islands by indentured laborers from

. The instrument's name literally means "stick percussion" from ''danda'', "stick," and ''taal'', the act of striking rhythmically. That is ll.

Technique

The dhantal is played by striking a metal rod (usually iron or steel) with a metal beater shaped like a horseshoe. The amount of resonance is controlled by opening and closing the hand that is holding the rod. The dhantal's timbre is sharply metallic and provides a clearly defined ''tal'' (beat or pulse) to help the ensemble stay in rhythmic sync. The basic rhythm of the dhantal is an

ostinato In music, an ostinato (; derived from Italian word for ''stubborn'', compare English ''obstinate'') is a motif or phrase that persistently repeats in the same musical voice, frequently in the same pitch. Well-known ostinato-based pieces include ...

consisting of two sixteenth-notes followed by an eighth-note. This rhythm has a similar "feel" to the

merengue music Merengue is a type of music and dance originating in the Dominican Republic, which has become a very popular genre throughout Latin America, and also in several major cities in the United States with Latino communities. Merengue was inscribed ...

of the Dominican Republic, which itself was based on an African rhythm brought to the Caribbean through the Afro-Caribbean diaspora. An example of how the Dhantal works can be seen in the
Dhantal Lesson
YouTube video.

References

External links

Lesson on how to play a dhantal on YouTube
{{Stick percussion idiophones Stick percussion idiophones Caribbean musical instruments Trinidad and Tobago musical instruments Fijian musical instruments

History

Technique

See also

References

External links